US, Japan to establish military bases in the Philippines #forum #defense #geostrategicissues

US, Japan to establish military bases in the Philippines By Joseph Santolan 29 June 2013 On June 27, at a press conference in Quezon City, Philippines, Philippine Defense Minister Voltaire Gazmin and his Japanese counterpart, Itsunori Onodera, announced that the Philippines would establish basing arrangements with both the US and Japanese militaries. China was the explicit target of this move allowing the US and Japan to station military personnel and equipment in the Philippines. At the press conference, Gazmin called China the oppressive neighbor and the bully at our doorstep. He stated, At this point in time, we cannot stand alone. We need allies. If we dont do this, we will be bullied by bigger powers and that is what is happening now: there is China, sitting on our territory.Onodera is in the Philippines on a two-day official visit. In discussions of the disput...